Police in Amsterdam have arrested a number of Occupy protesters who had occupied an ING bank branch in the centre of the capital.

The office had been occupied by two dozen activists who refused to leave voluntarily, a police spokeswoman said. The detainees were taken by bus to a police station.

The branch was open when the protesters staged their protest, causing disruption to its staff and customers. The activists blocked the entrance and were carrying placards saying “Occupy the banks.”

The Occupy protesters have been occupying part of the Stock Exchange square since 15 October. They have removed many of the tents they had pitched in the centre of the square since then.

The global protest movement began in Madrid in the spring and was given a fresh boost in New York this autumn. The key demands include limiting the power of corporations and banks, which they blame for the current crisis and the growing income inequality between the very richest and the other “99 percent” of the population.

(cl)

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